1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a system for re-registering a sensor during a live event.
2. Description of the Related Art
As technology develops sensors are being increasingly used to locate objects. For example, sensors can be used to locate automobiles, airplanes, missiles, people, articles in a manufacturing process, objects in a body, etc. Various different technologies can be used to design an appropriate sensor such as infrared sensors, radar, optical sensors, ultrasound, etc.
When these senors are used to locate an object, certain information is necessary to interpret the data from these sensors in order to use that data to calculate the object's location. This information is called registration information and may typically include location, orientation, timing, field of view information, etc. For example, some sensors will output data indicating the location of an object with respect to the sensor. In order find a location of the object in three dimensions, a system typically needs to know the location of the sensors. Additionally, with some sensors the orientation of the sensor must also be known.
Many systems will require a registration process in order to acquire the registration information necessary to use a sensor. The registration process can be manual or automatic. However, it is generally performed prior to normal operational use of the sensor.
A problem can arise, however, if the sensor is disturbed during normal use such that the information necessary to properly interpret the sensor's data is no longer accurate. For example, in order to use some sensors the orientation of the sensor must be known. If the sensor is bumped during a live event such that its orientation changes, then the data from the sensor will not be interpreted properly. If the sensor is being relied on to find the location of an object, the determination of that location will be in error unless the system correctly accounts for the change in the sensor's orientation.
If the sensor is being used during a live event (e.g. a game, a test, an airplane taking off or landing, an attack, etc.) the system cannot afford to shut down so that the sensor can be registered. Thus, there is a need for a system that can re-register a sensor during a live event.